Process of preparing a refined extract from cascara sagrada.



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UNITED STATES PATENT ornron ADOLF Dmrnmancn, or BENSHEIM, GERMANY.

PZEOCESS OF PREPARING A REFINE!) EXTRACT F ROM CASCABA SAG-RADA.

To all whom it may concern Be it knownthat I, ADOLF DIEFENBACH, pharmaceutical chemist, a subject of the German Emperor, and resident of Bensheim a. d. B., Hesse, Germany, have invented new and useful Improvements in Processes of Preparing Refined Extractsfrom Oascara Sagrada, of which the followingis a speclfication.

It is known that cascara sa ada contains a number of more or less e ective components and efiorts have been made for many years to isolate said components inorder to obtain extracts which preferably contain the effective substances.

It has been discovered that a great portion of the substances extracted from the bark, which are soluble in water, are insoluble in a concentrated solution of a salt, and furthermore, that the substances which are soluble in the salt solution are more effective and also more pleasant in action than the extracts prepared according to the prescriptions set forth in the di erent pharmacopoeias. Although extracts thus obtained are very mild in their action they nevertheless constitute excellent purgatives which may be taken in relatively smaller doses, but even when taken in the usual doses cause no unpleasant after-efl ects. For these reasons suchextracts are eminently suitable .for medical purposes as the method of making' them is a one. I i

The process of this invention is as folrelatively simple and cheap lows: To an aqueous solution of an extract tration.

from cascara sagrada, which has been firstprepared in any suitable manner, is added a suitable salt, soluble in water, in such quantity, that a saturated solution of the, salt is obtained. Thereby an abundant precipitate is formed, from which the supernatant liquor can be easily separated by fil- From this liquor the salt is then separated by a suitable treatment, whereupon the liquor which now contains no more salt, is concentrated by evaporation. Among other salts, which can be used for the precipitation, the following are to be named as suitable ones, viz: common salt (sodium chlorid), ammonium chlorid, sodium sulfate, ammonium sulfate, as well as other salts,

- which are easily soluble inwater. The salt is removed from the aqueous solution by the addition of alcohol; V been found to be speciallysuitable as it is Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 81, 1912. Serial Nt.-674,620l

water, the solution treated Sodium sulfate has' Patented Nov. 5, 19 12.

easily soluble, gives an efi'ective precipitation, and can be removed from the aqueous solution by the addition of alcohol so as to leave therein only very small quantities.

Extracts obtained according'to the above process may be distinguished from the usual extracts of commerce by the following properties: 1. When dissolved in water the solution is clear. 2. The aqueous solution remains also clear after the addition of diluted sulfuric acid or hydro-chloric acid, whereas extracts of commerce become precipitated at once when so treated. 3. When a tannin solution is carefully added to said aqueous solution, either no precipitate, or at al events, only a very sma l and flaky one is formed, Whereas in the case of a solution of the usual extract a thick precipitate is obtained.

Example: 1 kilo of cascara sagrada is extracted in the usual manner by water; the aqueous extract is then concentrated by evaporation to about 1 to 2 kilos, whereupon such a quantity of sodium sulfate is dissolved in the solution, that a saturated solution is obtained at ordinary temperature. After some hours the precipitate, which is, obtained, is filtered off, washed with a little once more with salt and filtered ofl'.

The filtrates are mixed with alcohol in the proportion of 1% to 2 times their volwhile the spirit, which runs off is added to the first liquor. After some time the alcoholic liquor which is nearly free from salt is concentrated by evaporation in the usual manner. The filtered off solution, which contains sodium sulfate and the extracted substances may also be further concentrated before the addition of spirit, in which case the solution is mixed with spirit, while still warinfand then treated as above set forth;

Sodium sulfate is essentially more easily" soluble when warm than when cold. Instead of by means of water the extract can also be obtained from the bark by means of a sodium sulfate solution or by an alternative treatment with water and sodium sulfate solution. The obtained extract-solution is then concentrated by evaporation to obtain a saturatedsolution (at ordinary temperature) after which it is further treated as above stated. In case alcoholic or other not pure aqueous extracts are used, those water portions of the extract, that are soluble in which are suitable for this purcan be easily separated after hygroscopic, are of hop-like contain about 1% of sodium sulfate and yield about 5 0 6% of ash.

I Letters Patent the following:

Now what I claim and, esire ,to secureby 1. The process ofpreparinga .tract from cascara sagrada which consists in first preparin grada, then a the said extract asuitable soluble salt in such quantity as to produce a saturated solution, filtering off the liquid from the obtained precipitate, then precipitating the salt from the purified solution, and filtering oil and conc entrating the liquor by evapora tion. I

2. The process tract from cascara sagrada which consists in first preparin an extract from cascara sagrada, then a ding to an aqueous solution of the said extract a salt, easily soluble in water, in such quantity as to produce a saturated solution, the obtained precipitate, then precipitating" the salt from the purified solution, andfiltering ofi and concentrating the liquor by evaporation. a 3. The processof preparing a refined extract from cascara sagrada which consists in are treated as described hereinbefore;

salt, or instead of alcohols other The extracts. obtained as above setrefined exan extract froni cascara sading to an aqueous solution of tity as to produce a saturated solution, of preparing a refined ex- .tate, then precipi filtering off the liquid from.

first preparin an extract from cascara sagrada, then a din to an aqueous solutionof the said extract so ium sul ate in such uantity as to produce a saturated solution, ter- 111g tate, then precipitatin the salt from e purified solutl on, and tering oif and concentrating the liquor by evaporation.

.4. The process of preparing a refined extract from cascara sagrada which 'consists in first preparing an extract from cascara sagrada, then adding to an aqueous solution ofthe said extract a suitable salt in such quantityas to' produce asaturate'd solution, filtering off the liquid irom the obtained precipitate, then precipitating the salt' from the alcohol, .and. filtering ofi and concentrating purified solut1on by-the addition of an the liquor byevaporation. v

5. The process of preparing a refined extract from cascara sagrada which consists in first preparing anextractfrom cascara sagrada, then adding toan aqueous solution of f the said extract a suitable salt in such uanterliquid ifrom the obtained precipitating the salt from the the addition of ethyling of]? the purified solution by the liquor by evaporation.

In testimony that Iclaim the foregoing as I Witnesses:

CARL LANZ, Rams Ronmnn.

off the liquid from the obtained preci i- I alcohol, andfilteringofi and concentrating 1 -'ADOLF-DIEFENBAGH. 

